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SQL Data Types

This document provides a comprehensive reference to the data types supported by SQL Server. Understanding these data types is crucial for designing efficient and robust databases.

Numeric Data Types

Data Type Description Storage Range
INT Standard integer data type. 4 Bytes -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
BIGINT Large integer data type. 8 Bytes -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807
SMALLINT Small integer data type. 2 Bytes -32,768 to 32,767
TINYINT Very small integer data type. 1 Byte 0 to 255
DECIMAL / NUMERIC Exact fixed-point number. Specified with precision and scale. Variable (up to 17 Bytes) Precision: 1-38, Scale: 0-38
FLOAT / REAL Approximate floating-point number. 4 or 8 Bytes Approximate ranges depend on precision.
MONEY Currency data type. Stores values in monetary units. 8 Bytes -922,337,203,685,477.5808 to 922,337,203,685,477.5807
SMALLMONEY Smaller currency data type. 4 Bytes -214,748.3648 to 214,748.3647

Date and Time Data Types

Data Type Description Storage Range
DATE Stores date values. 3 Bytes 0001-01-01 to 9999-12-31
TIME Stores time values. 3 to 5 Bytes 00:00:00.0000000 to 23:59:59.9999999
DATETIME Stores date and time values. 8 Bytes January 1, 1753, through December 31, 9999
DATETIME2 Enhanced date and time values. Higher precision than DATETIME. 6 to 8 Bytes January 1, 0001, through December 31, 9999
SMALLDATETIME Stores date and time values with less precision. 4 Bytes January 1, 1900, through June 3, 2079
DATETIMEOFFSET Stores date and time values with time zone offset. 8 to 10 Bytes January 1, 0001, through December 31, 9999
SMYSDATETIME A future data type for enhanced date and time storage. N/A N/A

String Data Types

Data Type Description Storage Max Length
VARCHAR Variable-length, non-Unicode character data. N+2 Bytes 8000 characters
NVARCHAR Variable-length, Unicode character data. 2N+2 Bytes 4000 characters
CHAR Fixed-length, non-Unicode character data. N Bytes 8000 characters
NCHAR Fixed-length, Unicode character data. 2N Bytes 4000 characters
TEXT Variable-length, non-Unicode character data (legacy). N+2 Bytes 2 GB
NTEXT Variable-length, Unicode character data (legacy). 2N+2 Bytes 1 GB
VARCHAR(MAX) Variable-length, non-Unicode character data (large value). N+2 Bytes 2 GB
NVARCHAR(MAX) Variable-length, Unicode character data (large value). 2N+2 Bytes 1 GB

Binary Data Types

Data Type Description Storage Max Length
BINARY Fixed-length binary data. N Bytes 8000 Bytes
VARBINARY Variable-length binary data. N+2 Bytes 8000 Bytes
IMAGE Variable-length binary data (legacy). N+2 Bytes 2 GB
VARBINARY(MAX) Variable-length binary data (large value). N+2 Bytes 2 GB
FILESTREAM Stores large binary objects (BLOBs) in the file system. Variable Up to 1 GB (file system limits)
Important Note: The TEXT, NTEXT, and IMAGE data types are deprecated. It is recommended to use VARCHAR(MAX), NVARCHAR(MAX), and VARBINARY(MAX) respectively for new development.

Other Data Types

Data Type Description
BIT Boolean data type, stores 0, 1, or NULL.
UNIQUEIDENTIFIER Globally Unique Identifier (GUID).
XML Stores XML data.
JSON Stores JSON data.
GEOMETRY Spatial data type for geometric shapes.
GEOGRAPHY Spatial data type for geographic locations.
HIERARCHYID Stores data representing a hierarchy.
SQL_VARIANT Stores values of various supported SQL Server data types.

For detailed information on the behavior, storage, and usage of each data type, please refer to the specific documentation pages linked within the navigation pane.